Should I Become a Tax Preparer?

[mama2be11]

Does anybody do tax preparation for extra income? I am interested in taking a course so that I can be ready for the next tax season but wanted to get some feedback from someone who is in the business and can offer me any advice. I have a call into Jackson-Hewitt to take their course. Has anyone taken their courses and what did you think? Are you employed with them now or do you have your own business? We need some extra money coming in to help with our expenses but it's appealing that it's not year round. I'm also pretty savvy with numbers, etc. so I think I would be good at it. My husband has his own business and I already do his bookkeeping and handle a lot of the tax issues anyways so I think I'd have an advantage already. Any advice I would appreciate!

[Nicole915]

My sister does tax prep for a small firm, and she really likes it. She does have to work very long hours during tax season, sometimes as much as 70 hours a week. That said, last tax season they cut down two staff, and they're talking about cutting even more this season. When she went through the classes, her then-prospective employer fronted the cost of the classes, maybe you could find a similar situation.

Good luck!!

[Maggi315]

How much are these training classes? Like the ones through H&R block? My husband was considering doing this for the tax season this year, but we have no idea how much it costs and what the average income would be.